The Happy Fits is an

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

band from Pittstown, New Jersey. The band was formed in 2016 by lead vocalist and cellist Calvin Langman and guitarist Ross Monteith, with the addition of Luke Davis as drummer following the release of their debut EP ''Awfully Apeelin'.'' After finding unexpected success on

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, the band members dropped out of college to record their first full-length album, ''Concentrate.'' They have since completed multiple headlining tours and released a sophomore album'','' ''What Could Be Better'', in 2020, and a third album, ''Under the Shade of Green'', in 2022.

History

2016–2017: Band formation

The band members attended the same New Jersey high school, where Ross Monteith approached the classically-trained Calvin Langman to play music together. By the close of their senior year, they had written four songs. As a graduation present, Monteith's parents paid for them to record the songs that would make their first EP. Two days before recording, they contacted Luke Davis to add a layer of percussion. Davis was attending

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

, but he had graduated from their high school the year prior, described by his bandmates as the school's best drummer. Their band name was decided on the way to the studio. Their first EP, ''Awfully Apeelin, was released in August 2016. While Langman and Monteith were attending the

University of Delaware The University of Delaware (colloquially UD or Delaware) is a public land-grant research university located in Newark, Delaware. UD is the largest university in Delaware. It offers three associate's programs, 148 bachelor's programs, 121 mas ...

, "While You Fade Away" was listed on Spotify's ''Fresh Finds'' playlist, jumping from under 1,000 listens on the app to over 39,000. It reached #5 on the ''Top 50 Viral USA'' Spotify chart three days later and #17 on the Spotify’s ''Top 50 Viral Global Charts''. Following the success of their EP, Davis joined as an official member, and in 2017, all three members dropped out of college to pursue the band full-time.

2018–present: ''Concentrate'' and ''Under the Shade of Green''

In 2018, the band released their debut album, ''Concentrate.'' In February 2020, the band finished recording their second album and set out on a tour that was quickly cancelled due to the

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. Subsequently, the band focused on their social media presence, with weekly

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on YouTube. In August 2020, they released their second album, ''What Could Be Better''. The album was named one of the ten best albums of the year by

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Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Singles

Members

* Calvin Langman – lead vocals, cello * Ross Monteith – vocals, guitars * Luke Davis – backing vocals, drums

Awards

* Makin Waves Band of the Year (2022){{Cite web , date=December 12, 2022 , title=Makin Waves with The Happy Fits: 2022 Makin Waves Band of the Year , url=https://www.newjerseystage.com/articles/getarticle2.php?titlelink=makin-waves-with-the-happy-fits-2022-makin-waves-band-of-the-year , access-date=2023-02-14 , website=NewJerseyStage.com

References

American indie pop groups Indie rock musical groups from New Jersey Musical groups established in 2016